Underground Warfare

Daphné Richemond-Barak

Focuses on the use of tunnels from the perspective of international law, and regulated by the laws of war, or jus in bello

Identifies issues unique to underground warfare, including analyzing traditional international humanitarian law issues as they relate to tunnels and underground operations

Discusses the unique features of underground warfare to paint a panoramic, multifaceted picture of tunnel warfare across time and geography

Addresses questions relating to applicable law focusing specifically on law, strategy, and method

Analyzes situations in which cross-border tunnels may lead to the outbreak of war and the jus ad bellum

Examines the law of armed conflict as it applies to 'urban' tunnels that are near civilian locations

Underground Warfare

Daphné Richemond-Barak

Description

Underground warfare, a tactic of yesteryear, has re-emerged as a global and rapidly diffusing threat. This book is the first of its kind to examine tunnel warfare in a systematic and comprehensive way, addressing the legal issues while keeping in mind operational and strategic challenges. Like many other aspects of contemporary warfare, the renewed use of the subterranean in armed conflict presents a challenge for democracies wishing to abide by the law.

To Dr. Richemond-Barak, this challenge has not only been under-explored, it is also largely underestimated by the community of states, security experts, and public opinion. She analyzes traditional concepts of the laws of war as they relate to tunnels and underground operations, contemplating questions such as whether tunnels constitute legitimate targets, the assessment of proportionality in anti-tunnel operations, and the availability of advanced warning in this complex terrain. She also identifies issues that are unique to underground warfare, including those that arise when cross-border tunnels burrow under a state's own civilian infrastructure.

Underground Warfare

Daphné Richemond-Barak

Table of Contents

2. Underground Warfare: From a Tool of War to a Global Security Threat

3. Sovereignty over the Underground

4. Contending with Tunnels: Law, Strategy, and Methods

5. Underground Warfare and the Jus ad Bellum

6. Underground Warfare and the Jus in Bello: General Considerations

7. Underground Warfare Near, By, and Against Civilians

8. Conclusion

Index

Underground Warfare

Daphné Richemond-Barak

Author Information

Daphné Richemond-Barak is Assistant Professor at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy, and Strategy, and Senior Researcher and Head of the International Law Desk at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya. She is a renowned and prolific expert on public international law and international humanitarian law specializing in the law of armed conflict. She has written extensively on contemporary issues such as counterinsurgency law, human rights/humanitarian law convergence, non-state actors in armed conflict, private security military contractors, transnational terrorist groups, and intelligent defense systems.

Underground Warfare

Daphné Richemond-Barak

Reviews and Awards

"In the granular attention to operational realities that "Underground Warfare" provides, and in its use of analogies from other methods of warfare, Richemond-Barak's book provides a model for analyses of other military methods that have not so far received detailed assessments under the laws of armed conflict." -- Jonathan Cedarbaum, Lawfare Blog

"Although studies of the law governing domains of conflict -maritime, air, cyber, and space- have become de rigueur, underground warfare, a central battlespace for centuries, has been ignored. Daphné Richemond-Barak remedies that shortfall in this incisive, sophisticated, and comprehensive examination of subterranean operations and the law. A 'must read' for academics and practitioners alike."- Michael Schmitt, Charles H. Stockton Professor, United States Naval War College

"Our adversaries today are taking a lesson from bygone eras by fighting us from the subterranean domain, thus trying to reduce our technological edge. We must be prepared and ready to meet this challenge."- R.F. Natonski, LtGen, United States Marine Corps (Ret)

"An eye-opening examination of the remarkably under-examined role of tunnels in modern warfare. Daphné Richemond-Barak's Underground Warfare is a path-breaking study that lays out the complex challenges tunnels pose in peace time as well as in war. Richemond-Barak compellingly argues for long-term strategies and legal parameters to address the growing threat of underground warfare. Engagingly told, this is a must-read for anyone thinking about today's unique security challenges."- Karen J. Greenberg, Director, Center on National Security at Fordham Law and author of Rogue Justice

"In the modern era of asymmetric warfare waged by terrorists and other non-state fighters against more powerful states, Daphné Richemond-Barak reminds us that underground warfare is an import and and relatively unregulated component of modern battles. Underground Warfare is an important and ground-breaking book that provides a framework for scholars and practitioners thinking about rules for governing the use of underground warfare in battle. Richemond-Barak offers lucid analysis, succinct historical references, and a clear set of prescriptions for policymakers. Underground Warfare is sure to have a meaningful impact on evolving law of war debates."- William C. Banks, Director, Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism (INSCT), and Board of AdvisorsDistinguished Professor, Syracuse University